A Long Night
by Saturdaychick
Summary: Erik and Lisette prepare for the first full moon, since living under Erik's protection, together.


**A Long Night**

The day began like any other. Lisette had prepared a breakfast of scones and butter, jam and coffee and set it before Erik, and then, once she had served him, she helped herself. She was dressed in a lilac and purple frock and looked so lovely Erik could not take his eyes off her. Still, this day was different. This was the morning of the night of the full moon. The first since Erik had come upon Lisette in her wolf form. The first, since she was under his care and protection.

"I'm simply ravenous," she declared, as she helped herself to a second and then a third scone. Erik watched her with interest. She was as slim and lithe as a deer. She seemed to be burning off her meals with all her activity lately. She had taken to early morning walks in the park. It was a restlessness that had come over her a week or so ago. In his heart, he knew it was because it was getting closer and closer to this very morning. To whatever would take place that evening.

He still found himself disbelieving what he had seen. And yet, there she had been. The white wolf, then… the beautiful naked young woman. He had slipped off to the Paris library, when he was in town doing his shopping the day before, and read everything he could on the myths and legends of werewolves, lycanthropes and shape-shifters. He tried to recall every story he had heard from the gypsies as they sat around the fire and shared tales of demons, vampires and werewolves. He used to scoff at their superstitions. Now, he wondered, if Lisette was a legend come to life, were there other life forms living among the people of the cities and towns, also waiting for the right moment to make themselves known?

On his way home, he had tried to reason with himself. To no avail. He had fallen in love with a beautiful, sweet young woman whose life was essentially taken from her as a girl, and who now lived under a curse. She had resigned herself to that life and now, living with Erik, she had blossomed. She was smart and witty and had a voice so ethereal and pure, that all he could think of was how to make use of it in his compositions. She had inspired several pieces that seemed almost to write themselves, he being the channel through which they flowed. These works were so different from what he had written for Christine, those dark, passionate masterpieces that came from the very depth of his heart and soul. Ah, Christine. He mulled over what had taken place two days ago.

She had come to him, declared her love for him, told him she had left Raoul. She had seen Lisette, understood that she had been replaced in his affections by that enchanting young woman, and wept and embraced and kissed him, He had turned on her, rejected her, albeit after returning her kiss, something he hated himself for doing. Why now?

As Lisette cleared the table, Erik went to her, he took the plates, set them on the counter and turned to her. He towered over the petite girl, but she took no notice of their differences. She looked up at him quizzically, bestowing her radiant smile upon him, "Is there something you wanted, Erik?" she asked. He stared at her a moment, then replied, "Yes. Come, let's go to your room." Here, she laughed. "What is so funny?" he asked, feeling confused.  
"Why, Erik, I have been trying to lure you into my room for weeks. Now, you are taking me there. Is it for a reason other than the heart?"

He sighed, as they walked down the hallway to her door, which stood ajar. "Yes, Lisette, my dear, we have to talk about… well, about tonight."

She nodded. They entered the charming room, which she had made her own, despite the fact he had designed it originally for Christine. She sat on her bed. He took the chair from the desk and turned it to face her before sitting down.

"You feel the pull of the moon, even here, 5 stories below the Opera House? That is correct, is it not?"

"Yes, Erik. No matter where I have been or gone, days before my transformation, I feel it coming. It is something in my blood and bones. A disease for which there is no cure. I have tried to explain it to you. The restlessness that comes over me, the pacing, the hunger. It is just something I have learned to live with."

Erik leaned forward. He took Lisette's delicate hands into his own and held them, bringing them to his lips to place a kiss upon them, before releasing them. "My dear, I would do anything for you, if I had it in my power to do so, even if it cost me my life, I would take this curse from you. I would free you. I feel powerless to help you in any way other than what we have talked about. Giving you the option of locking yourself in your room so you might transform in a safe place. Never again will you have to worry that harm will come to you while you are in your wolf form. Not as long as I am alive."

"Erik," Lisette left her seat on the bed and knelt before him, "you have been so kind to me. You never judged me or seemed to fear what I am. I feel you were drawn to me, despite what you have seen, as I had found myself drawn to you. We are bonded, somehow, Erik. I know you love me. I felt it growing inside you as my heart began to respond and I felt myself loving you in return. Know that I would die if I were to ever unknowingly hurt you. I would not blame you at all if you were to turn me out tonight." She held his gaze as he stared back at her.

He reached out and stroked her white blonde hair, then, he pulled her up from her kneeling position, and embraced her. "My sweet girl. It seems we would die for each other. No one else has ever declared that they would die for me. You are the heart of my heart. I cannot imagine a life without you in it, no matter what shape you might acquire, " he smiled down at her, her arms wrapped about his neck, tears fell from her golden eyes. "There, there," he purred. "You have gone through a lot. Now, we will go through the future together, whatever it might hold."

They spent the next few hours readying her room. The key on its chain, was around her neck. Erik had placed a bowl of water and a plate of raw steak from the butcher in a corner of the room. He had taken a quilt from a chest and lay it on the floor. "I have never spent much time in the company of wolves, my dear, before, but I had been in charge of the gypsy dogs and always tried to treat them kindly. They were often abused by their masters."

Far above Erik's lair, above the roofs of Paris, dusk was turning to night, and as the moon began its rise in the sky, Lisette closed the door, locked it with the silver key and placed it high on a dresser. She began to tremble and shudder and carefully removed the lilac dress and placed it on the bed, and continued to remove her boots, stockings and under things, until she stood completely naked. She ran her hand through her hair, and then, knelt down on the quilt, as bit by bit, her face and body began to take on the characteristics of a wolf, the fine white fur growing and covering her completely, now, no longer the girl Lisette, but an animal with an animal's instincts for survival.

Erik stood outside the door. He placed a hand on it and held it there. He felt a chill go through him. As prepared as he was for this night, he was still not ready for the reality of what was taking place. Lisette, the woman, was gone. There was now an animal locked in the room. It began to paw at the door, then to scratch and dig at it frantically. For a moment, Erik wasn't sure he'd made the right decision. Should her creature form have been allowed to run free? No, not if it meant some sort of harm or violence might befall her.

The wolf began to whimper, then to howl. Erik stood there helplessly, then he knelt down and spoke softly, "hush, shhhhhh…." The howling stopped. It was listening to his voice. "don't be afraid, you have nothing to fear…" he paused a moment, then rose, went briefly into his music room and returned with his violin. He began to play music that was so hauntingly beautiful that there was only silence beyond the door. This was a piece inspired by his beloved, tortured Lisette, as he played, he began to sing along with it, lyrics he'd only just composed… "Hush little one, darkness is falling, the forest alive with lives lived at night, hush little one, no one will harm you, my arms will keep you safe from the hunter that prowls, Hush, little one, be not afraid of the sounds of the woods, the cries and the howls, there, little one, night is soon over, night creatures slip away, back to their dens, Come, little one, curl up beside me, safe here beside me, we'll sleep till it ends…"

His voice a mesmerizing, soothing sound that penetrated the door and wrapped hypnotically around the room, the sweet strains of the violin accompanying it. All was now still. Erik sat beside the door and leaned against it. No sound came from within. How many hours more until this night was over and he could take his dear Lisette back into his arms? Not many more. All that mattered was she was safe. Relief flooded through him. Now, the strain of worry lifted, he felt his own eyes grow heavy. He set the violin down, wrapped his arms around his knees, rested his head against them, and let sleep overtake him.


End file.
